"The Sushi Prophecies" by August Hill is an engaging and unique coming-of-age story that explores themes of family, identity, and tradition. The story follows the journey of Alex, a young man who's struggling to find his place in the world, as he embarks on a quest to learn the art of sushi-making from his estranged grandfather in Japan.

One of the things I loved about this book was the way it delves into the cultural and historical significance of sushi-making. The author does an excellent job of weaving in details about the tradition, as well as exploring the relationship between Alex and his grandfather, which is fraught with tension and conflict.

The pacing of the book is excellent, with just the right amount of action, character development, and plot twists to keep the reader engaged. I also appreciated the depth of the supporting characters, particularly the strong female characters who played an integral role in Alex's journey.

However, there were a few minor issues that prevented me from giving this book a full five stars. Some of the dialogue felt a bit stilted at times, and there were a few plot points that felt a bit rushed or underdeveloped. Additionally, while the author did an excellent job of exploring the cultural aspects of sushi-making, I would have liked to see a bit more exploration of the emotional and psychological journey that Alex goes through.

Overall, "The Sushi Prophecies" is a beautifully written and engaging book that is sure to appeal to fans of coming-of-age stories and cultural exploration. Despite its minor flaws, it's a book that I would highly recommend to anyone looking for a unique and thought-provoking read.

The Sushi Prophecies by August Hill is about Sebastian that is a designer and has worked his creativity into his management running a trendy greenhouse called Verdigris. He has a girlfriend he hates and enjoys living where he does on the water.
I requested The Sushi Prophecies based on the title and what I believed would be a cute cozy mystery but unfortunately it didn't deliver.
The characters and storyline were okay and though there were some humourous bits I just didn't connect with the story.

Received a review copy from the publisher and NetGalley. All thoughts are my own and in no way influenced by the aforementioned.

#TheSushiProphecies #NetGalley

Vancouver is not what it used to be. Tribes have descended on this city. It has become a disturbing mess and murder. In the midst of immortal sushi masters and gardeners, lies a hero and a hostage.

Sebastian, an idle artist, manages a really posh garden to curb his crippling social anxieties. But one morning, when he awakens, things aren't what it was the night before. He awakens to something very different.

Battle lines are drawn and Sebastian finds himself right in the center of it as he thrust with leadership. The city needs to be saved before it is too late and everything is lost and the dread overtakes.

- What has come over the place?
- How does Sebastian find himself in the middle of it?
- Is the city saved or not?

Rating - 2.5/5 Stars
Recommendation - Low to Moderate

Conclusion,
This is a dark comedy. It offers humorous respite while it takes us through a parallel course of bizarre happenings.

While I liked the authors style of writing there was a bit too much of it for me, 600 pages and I wasn't blown away by much. The story is interesting and has potential just didn't get there for me.

I still don't know what to make of this book. At first, I had high expectations (just because the title looked funny), but when I finished the book, I was quite sure I got what had happened.

The characters are flawed, imperfect, and they know it. They know what they should be doing better, but they don't do it, anyway.

The story intrigued me at first. Then, as I couldn't foresee what would happen, I started to like it even more, until it ended, and I could just wonder "why?". In fact, I reread certain parts, thinking maybe I was distracted and didn' understand something. The truth is I didn't undertsand, but not because I hadn't been paying attention. Maybe they weren't meant to be understood?

I like wacky stories, those that seem ridiculous or absurd. This one was too realistic to be absurd, and too absurd to be realistic.

Thanks NetGalley and the author for my ARC.

The Sushi Prophecies is a strange, humorous book. Set in Vancouver amidst the hipster driven businesses of yoga studios, coffee shops, tapas bars, sushi restaurants, and nurseries, the story slowly reveals itself through the misadventures of Sebastien. Sebastien lives with a girlfriend that he doesn't love and in fact, finds kind of gross and he manages a group of misfits at the neighborhood nursery where he sells fancy-pants plants to the locals. Strange things start happening when a bizarre unidentifiable plant arrives with his regular shipment of plants. He begins to suspect that he is somehow at the center of some mysterious plans being rolled out by nefarious folks.

The Sushi Prophecies was a slow-paced story that had a ton of potential. It was comical, albeit dragging in some parts. Although, I suppose it was a bit expected since the book was 600 pages long. The characters were likable with their snappy and sarcastic remarks but lacking in terms of character development. The story itself was confusing as it seems to go back and forth in every chapter but was quite engaging towards the second half.

Ended up DNF’ing this book. I didn’t really feel connected to the characters and the quirkiness between them in conversations was confusing

This seems a cool, edgy book. Vancouver is full of yoga studios, plant nurseries and coffeeshops, peopled by unique people., living unique lives; unique, but ultimately boring and lifeless. I thought the story might develop into something readable, but unfortunately it did not. Descended into a morass of metaphors, story disappeared. Only my opinion.

With bits of dark humor, the story starts on a slow note. I really liked the author's writing style. However, I had trouble connecting with the story or the characters.

The Sushi Prophecies was written in a funny and enigmatic writing style that paints a vivid picture for its readers. Although written well Sushi Prophecies was a very slow paced dark comedy. I really wanted to like this book alot more than I did but ultimately this book wasnt for me. I dont want this review to disservice Hill in any way, because I truly feel that its not the book..ITS ME. I honestly feel like there is an audience for this type of novel, albiet I am not a part of it.

I recieved a digital copy of this book from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

ARC in exchange for an honest review, so here I am!
Ok, slow pace for a strange book, that, finally, I liked more than I was expecting!
I was perplexed as much as Sebastian was, so, August, well done!

Even if it takes a bit to get going it's an engrossing and entertaining read.
I liked the descriptions of Vancouver, the trendy and hipster environment and the quirky characters.
I recommend it.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine.

The Sushi Prophecies is about a man named Sebastian that works running a trendy greenhouse. He is a designer and has worked his creativity into his management of Verdigris (the greenhouse). He has a girlfriend he hates and enjoys living where he does on the water.

Things get weird about halfway through when a Sushi place opens up on the same block as Verdigris. The sushi place ends up being a great customer ordering loads and loads of aloe for some unknown reason. At the same time a strange plant shows up that Sebastian didn't order. He keeps it anyway out of curiosity.

A plot unravels slowly as it appears someone is looking to sabotage the people of the city at Sea Fest. Can Seb and his friends save the day? What/ who are they trying to save?

I liked a lot of this book. The first half of the book was a little slow with not a lot going on. I think the book really could be cut down. It seemed longer than necessary. With that said, it was an interesting but confusing story. The character development was good.

The Sushi Prophecies is a strange, humorous book. Set in Vancouver amidst the hipster driven businesses of yoga studios, coffee shops, tapas bars, sushi restaurants, and nurseries, the story slowly reveals itself through the misadventures of Sebastien. Sebastien lives with a girlfriend that he doesn't love and in fact finds kind of gross and he manages a group of misfits at the neighborhood nursery where he sells fancy-pants plants to the locals. Strange things start happening when a bizarre unidentifiable plant arrives with his regular shipment of plants. He begins to suspect that he is somehow at the center of some mysterious plans being rolled out by nefarious folks.

The story was slow going for the first third or so of the book. There were humorous bits but I did ask myself a few times "what exactly is happening here? idgi". Maybe that was kind of the point? We were supposed to be as perplexed as Sebastien. Things picked up for me as we moved into the last 2/3 of the book.

I found this book to be that quirky absurd kind of humor that you get when you read Christopher Moore or Douglas Adams. The story was strange, the characters were a rag tag group of misfits and the whole nefarious plot was also bizzaro...so pick this up if you are looking for an oddball adventure with a fair share of laughs.

I loved the premise of a garden center and a mysterious succulent at the center of a nefarious plot, but The Sushi Prophecies doesn’t quite stick to the script. Thanks to the folks at NetGalley & The Plump Press for a gifted copy in exchange for my honest review.
⭐️⭐️
•
“Stress for me is too many metaphors. Like a journey through a foreign imagination without translation.” – The Sushi Prophecies
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The Sushi Prophecies takes place in Vancouver, where our protagonist Sebastian manages a chic gardening center that he’s rebranded using his art skills. The gardening center, Verdigris Haute House, is the diamond in the rough: the descriptions, the plants, and even a little comedy come through quite well in the scenes that take place there. Overall, there are some truly creative plot ideas, but they get lost in hazy and disjointed storytelling.
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Sebastian and I have something in common – we both spent most of this book confused. Things start happening at 40% of the way through (too late for my taste), but after a few chapters of clarity, it slips back into chaos. The transitions between chapters are nonexistent, furthering the disjointed feel. When I was able to grasp a plot thread, it was still unclear why any of it was happening. I wasn’t kidding before – the protagonist spends most of the novel pontificating on how confused he is, and it certainly didn’t help matters. There are also ableist, sexist, homophobic, and racist slurs peppered in throughout. While they’re clearly meant to emphasize that the characters using them are unsavory, it pulled me out of the story and was a bit disturbing to see someone using these words in 2020. Overall, I can only give this novel two stars out of five. ⭐️⭐️

This book has so much potential. Though the first half is meandering and there doesnt seem to be any concise plot, the second half almost has too much happening. Some parts are written beautifully, some arent. There are no deep characters, but that seems to be the point. After you get past the first half it has a Pineapple Express or Burn After Reading feel. It would make an excellent Seth Rogan movie.

Thank you to Netgalley for this copy in exchange for a review.

I received a complimentary copy of this ebook from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I will say that this is a very colorful story with oddball characters that seem to be mostly high, usually on weed or mushrooms or mysterious plant, or drunk. I really hope Vancouver is really not what is described in this book.

The main character is Sebastian, though he usually is called Seb or even Sebby by his friends. He has an awful girlfriend, Adina, who he really should have broken up with long ago. He works and manages the Verdigris, a very successful garden/nursery. Life is colorful but when he gets an odd plant in an order, things go even more crazy. The descriptions in this book are very vivid, not always in a good way. Some are positively stomach churning. The mysterious plant is described as a lobster throwing up cotton candy. And there are very long and, to me, odd and not needed descriptions of hot yoga and an odd tea ceremony. Because of that plant, Sebastian gets caught in a dastardly plot and has to save Vancouver from the clutches of evil people, or not. It is very confusing and disjointed.

I think much could be cut out of this book, either that or it might be best read if you are high. I finished it but I think the story is way too meandering (just go ahead and save the darn city!), the plot is not great and it is definitely not in my niche of liked books.

The Sushi Prophecies is a whirlwind tale of a mediocre guy, his oddball friends, and the opportunity to save Vancouver from evil. Sebastian, lowly plant store manager, meets the proprietor of the new sushi house in town, a man named Aira who buys too much aloe. Little does he know that Aira will become his spiritual guide, as Everyman Sebastian embarks on his hero’s journey.

There were parts of this story that I really liked. And parts that I thought were unnecessary to furthering the story. I hate to say it, but this book could have been half as long and twice as good. The writing style reminds me of Nick Hornby, which is a delight. I loved Sebastian, and I loved his weirdo friends. There was strong character development, but I found the plot to be lacking and a little confusing. I’m not entirely sure there was a cohesive plot, to be honest. Clever and critical editing could bring this 3 star review to a 5.

This book is totally and utterly bonkers!
Sebastian is a very likeable character. He managers a garden centre, but he is a very talented artist. If only Sebastian was more motivated, confident and did not have such crippling anxiety he could probably be quite successful.
Sebastian realises that a plant delivered to the garden centre is very special. It is like nothing he has seen before. He soon learns that not only does it look different, but it has amazing properties which affect different people in different ways.
Who has introduced this plant into Vancouver? What is their aim? Why did they initially target Sebastian? What can Sebastian try to do to find out the truth and stop the spread of the plant throughout Vancouver? Is the plant just too powerful and is it just too late to do anything?
A very funny and clever book. Sebastian is a real hero of our time!
Thanks to NetGalley, the publisher and the author for a Kindle copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Good character development and settings but no discernible plot

There were things I really liked about this book. The character development is good and the setting descriptions amazing. The dialogue and a lot of the wording is very clever and worthy of re-reading. But after half-way through the book, I still didn’t have a sense of the story. I found that a lot of the content was extraneous and didn’t move the story along, and I stopped reading. The book seems to have a lot of promise, but for me it didn’t deliver.
Disclosure: I received a complimentary copy of this book via Netgalley for review purposes.